Who makes the slimmest bifolding doors?

The aluminium bifolding door offers a host of benefits in the home. With more bifolding door systems available than ever before, if you are a homeowner looking for a quality bifolding door there is a huge amount of choice. One area you may be considering is the appearance and aesthetics. So who makes the slimmest bifolding doors?

Who makes the slimmest bifolding doors?

One of the promoted features of the bifolding door is the ‘door sight line’. The door sight line is the visible aluminium you see on a closed set of bifolding doors, where the door panels meet. This is also referred to as the door mullion. Here is our table illustrating the sight line of virtually every aluminium bifolding door system you can buy in the UK today.

See how they compare in order of slimness at the door mullion and the sight line dimension you can expect to see.

BIFOLDING DOOR SYSTEM

Meeting Stile Sight Line

Smart Systems Visofold 6000

94mm

Solarlux SL80

104mm

Dutemann FD85

105mm

Greenways Ultra Slim Bifolding Door

110mm

Schuco ASS 80FD

112mm

Sunflex SF75

115mm

Schuco ASS 70 FD

120mm

Comar 7P.1 Folding Sliding Door

120mm

DeWall Bifolding door by Debar

120mm

Air 800 Bifolding Door

122mm

Reynaers CF 77 SL

122mm

Senior Architectural Alifold Doors

123mm

Senior Architectural PUReFold Doors

123mm

Sunparadise Supertherm 80 Bifolding Door

124mm

Sunparadise Thermo 60 Bifolding Door

124mm

Stayfix Architectural Vision Fold Doors

125mm

Solarlux SL60

130mm

Fold ‘n’ Slide FD72 Bifold Door System.

130mm

Reynaers CF68

131mm

SAPA Crown Folding Door with new slim sash

131mm

Smart Systems Visofold 1000

132mm

Exlabesa Xlafold Bifolding Door

135mm

Centor C1 Bifolding Door

136mm

AluK Optio BSF70 Folding Sliding Door

140mm

Sieger Bifolding Door

140mm

Smart Systems Visofold 2000

141mm

Technal Ambial Bifolding Door

143mm

Reynaers CF77

144mm

Kawneer AA3720 Bifolding Door

145mm

Metal Technology System 26 HI Bifolding Door

143mm

Kestrel Folding Sliding Door

150mm

Metal Technology System 26 HI+ Bifolding Door

153mm

Origin Bifolding Door

154mm

Smart Systems Visofold 3000

154mm

Alumina by Liniar

156mm

Warmcore Bifolding Doors

156mm

Solarlux SL70

157mm

SAPA Crown Folding Door standard sash

165mm

Aluprof MB System Bifolding Door

166mm

Smart Systems Visofold 4000

185mm

Our table of over forty bifolding door systems uses data taken from the system company websites or their technical and fabrication manuals. The above sight lines indicate the typical dimension where two intermediate panels meet. Dimensions with some systems increase when a folding panel meets the traffic door if one is specified. We excluded frameless and slide and fold doors operating on an individual moving and folding panel basis as well. Also excluded are systems that do not meet current Building Regulations.

The System 48 bifolding door by Fineline Aluminium.

For balance, we must mention one bifolding door, not on the list that takes the top spot as the thinnest bifolding door. That door is the System 48 Bifolding Door by Fineline Aluminium of Weston Super Mare. The System 48 Bifolding door looks impressive offering a remarkable 48mm sight line and beating the Smart Systems Visofold 6000 by quite a margin.

We did not include Fineline’s System 48 because it is a structurally glazed bifolding door, made around the glass. The aluminium sections are not, strictly speaking, door sash sections either and it uses different hardware for the slide and fold operation. The locking systems are located on the rails rather than the door stiles as well. This is because, with such narrow sections, most lock cases cannot fit in such thin sections. While very much a bifolding door worthy of consideration, we felt the System 48 bifold as being far too different in its design to be included in our table of ‘conventional’ bifolds, that largely share a similar construction. But it is a fantastic looking bifolding door with impressive thin proportions.

If you are wondering why some well-known big retail brands are missing, this is because many use the above systems or variations of them. This includes well known retail companies such as:

Express Bifolding Doors

Bifold Direct

Everest Home Improvements

Anglian Home Improvements

Kloeber

Duration Windows

Is the slimmer bifolding door better?

AluK, Smart Systems and Origin are three bifolding door brands in the UK with excellent sales, given the size of the systems companies by turnover and the volume of bifolding doors supplied. This is despite their doors not being the slimmest on the market.

Ultimately a buyer and a manufacturer of bifolding doors takes many different factors into account and not just the bifolding door sight line. However, with the bifolding door market established and with more than 30 systems available, customers have never had more choice.

Recent new ultra slim bifolding door products include the air 800, the Dutemann FD85, the Exlabesa Xlafold and the Smart Systems Visofold 6000. The Comar bifolding door is also as thin as the better known Schuco door. All these products have been designed with a narrow bifolding door sight line as an ultra slim door is perceived as being more desirable.

What to consider when buying bifolding doors.

The sight line is just one consideration when buying a bifolding door. Here is what else is more important.

The overall product aesthetic and how it looks as a complete door not just in one area.

The more door panels the less intrusive the mullion can appear.

The quality of the hardware, locks and bifolding door handles.

The colour, handle, configurations available and other personalisation options.

The security and weather performance of the product.

The U-Values provided if energy efficiency is important.

The guarantee available with the product.

Your confidence in dealing with the company providing you the doors.

If you would like more information about the system mentioned or have any questions about bifolding doors, contact us.